The Faulted
by PeachxRing
Summary: Even as a child Melanie never seemed to do things quite right. After a string of unfortunate events her estranged brother steps in and makes her an offer she can't refuse. Reluctantly she finds herself working for the State Military although she hates everything they stand for. Despite that she can't seem to stop her affection for a certain blue eyed soldier from growing.
1. Caught in the Torrent

When it rains it pours, at least that was how the adage went, wasn't it? That seemed to be the case in East City that morning. The rain was pounding the usually bustling city into submission, shrouding it in an eerie silence. Only the occasional car passing and the deep soothing shower, it was the sort of day to sleep. In a small studio apartment, near the Ishvalan slums in South Eastern district, a symphony of light snores filled the room. How could she have known that in her thick, relaxed slumber she had shut off her alarm nearly an hour ago? It didn't help that just four hours prior she had been wide-awake hunched over the nearly completed portrait that lay in the corner. A loud bang rouses her from her deep sleep. The neighbor must've been arranging the furniture again.

"Hmm." She grumbled while sitting up in her bed. While fumbling for her cigarettes did a sudden feeling of dread pulsed through her. "Why do I feel like I need to be doing something else right now." Pushing a stray lock of auburn hair from her face she sighed and pressed the cigarette to her full pink lips. The moment she lit it was when she realized the time and the day. It was 7:45 on a Thursday morning; in 15 minutes her shift at the café would start. That shitty café where she had to work so she could keep this crappy roof over her head.

"Fuck! I can't believe this happened again! Why do I always do this! Fuck!" She cried out. In her haste, she fell from her bed with a loud thud. "Ow." She snuffed out her cigarette as she quickly scoured the mountain of dirty clothes on her apartment floor for a clean work uniform. A sigh of relief burst from her lips as she sniffed yesterdays work clothes. They had a slightly musty smell, but it would have to do. Her fingers fumbled as she began buttoning the thin white blouse.

"Why does this damn thing have so many buttons, fuck it not enough time!" She grunted before stepping into a small black skirt. She began to quickly wrestle her way into a pair of mid-thigh black leather boots before leaving the small, filthy studio apartment.

"If he doesn't want any of us to be late he shouldn't make the uniform so damn complicated AGHHH!" She screamed in frustration. Her left boot zipper had jammed at the knee. "Come on! Fuck it! I don't have time for this…" She grabbed her keys and bolted out the door. As she walked down the stairs, she pulled her thick wavy hair into two long uneven pigtails.

 _Melanie doesn't panic; you're not late yet. Crap its raining, and I don't have time to run back up to my apartment to grab an umbrella. Well, I have to run and hope I catch this next bus or else. Maybe I can use the rain to my advantage; I doubt it's to busy right now. I can say my bus got into a crash; it's not over yet!_

With that Melanie darted out from the threshold of her apartment building. She couldn't help but notice a man standing beside her. He looked out of place wearing an all-white suit. Melanie locked her eyes with his golden ones for a moment instantly filling her with discomfort.

"Morning, its raining cats and dogs out here." The strange man said to her. "Kind of makes you wish you could just stay home in bed, huh?"

"Yes, unfortunately, I don't have that luxury." Melanie turned her back and quickly ran out from under the awning.

The rain seemed like a waterfall; it only took two blocks until she was thoroughly soaked. As Melanie approached the bus stop a glimmer of hope flashed through her, it seemed things were finally looking up. The ride was only five minutes by bus, and it appeared she had timed it perfectly!

"Wait!" She shouted sprinting frantically; the bus pulled to the curb. The water came over her like a tsunami; un-phased she continued to run towards the bus. All that mattered was that because of this bus she would make it. Her heart fluttered as the bus doors opened, Melanie beamed up at him as she reached for her purse to pay.

Dread filled her once more as she fumbled for her bag. She laughed awkwardly and looked up at the bus drivers' stern look. Within moments passengers began to remark amongst themselves how disheveled she looked. She felt her cheeks flush.

"No way… Please don't tell me I forgot it." She mumbled, a woman scoffed loudly in the background. The driver glared at her expectantly as he tapped his pudgy finger on the fare box. A soft smile spread across her lips, things looked bad now but he surely wouldn't make her walk in the rain would he? "You're never going to believe it, but I forgot my purse. I need this bus to get to work on time_" A wrinkled boney hand burst out from the sea of passengers and nudged her from the bus, back into the downpour. Within a second the bus had shut its doors and began to pull away from the stop.

"You've got to be kidding me!" She shrieked lifting her left foot to kick a dent in the side. Melanie shuffled clumsily before falling backward. "Asshole!" Flipping him off while pushing herself up from the ground with an exasperated grunt.

 _Even if I get to work, Steiner said if I were late again I would be fired. Ughhh I'm soaked through could this day get any worse?_

She kept her head fixated on the ground as she continued to walk towards her job. Though it probably didn't matter anymore, she could never walk there in time. Melanie didn't care; she was never the type to give up. Determined she picked up her pace and continued onwards.


	2. A Worsening Storm

A shiver ran through her after trudging through the rain for a block or two. A few cars had passed by splashing her with more muddy water; her once white shirt was now a mucky splotchy brown. At first, Melanie thought nothing of it when a black car seemed to pull up beside her. She crossed her arms over her chest and continued to walk. Melanie was just thankful they hadn't sped and splashed her as the other cars had. Not that it made any difference, either way, she was already soaked and filthy. Her wavy pigtails hair stuck to her chilled white cheeks as she continued to march onward.

"Hey, looks like you could use a ride." A males honeyed voice offered, could it be? Was there still a chance to get there on time?! It wasn't usually wise to accept rides from stranger yet, in this case, she felt warranted an exception. After all, it had to be fate! She was destined to keep this job, and it was a sign that the day was about to get better.

"Thank you." She softly panted as she ducked her head into the car. The moment she saw two men dressed in State Military uniforms she froze. It was too late to cut and run; she had already shut the door, besides at least it was dry. Melanie noticed the handsome man who sat beside her. His jet-black hair was slightly messy in an appealing way. His stern brown eyes looked her over while a smirk played across his face. Her cheeks grew warm; his gaze made her feel vulnerable in the worst possible way. Melanie felt especially embarrassed when she noticed the blonde man in the driver's seat was peering at her a little too much.

" Now what kind of monster would splash a pretty little thing like you? I guess you didn't hear the weather forecast, torrential rain all day." The black-haired man chuckled haughtily at his stupid joke. "Now where can we take you, beautiful?" Ignoring his condescending tone, she forced a polite smile. If there was one thing in a man, she hated it was arrogance. It was unfortunate that in her twenty years of living she had never actually met a man who wasn't arrogant. Unfortunately, it seemed as though every man she ever knew had a false sense of entitlement paired with an unattractive sense of over-confidence.

"I'm going to work. It's only a few blocks away. Its called Café Dose, it's on the corner with a purple awning. I'm in a bit of a rush if you don't mind.." Melanie urged, she looked up towards the driver once more. She saw his bright blue eyes continuing to look at her chest in the rearview mirror. Glancing down Melanie blushed, even more, upon seeing both her baby pink bra and cleavage were visible. She could hardly blame the men for gawping at her, sighing she tried to button up subtly. The dark-haired man chuckled once more; though her blouse was now buttoned, it was regrettably still wholly see through. Sighing in defeat, she caught the enticing whiff of a cigarette. Her body shivered with anticipation. Oh, what she would do for a cigarette right now.

"Uhm Sir, I'm sorry to ask you for another favor, but could you please give me a cigarette." The driver, glanced back at her before he could answer the dark-featured man spoke.

"You heard the woman Havoc, give her a cigarette."

"Oh yeah, sure thing." He fumbled through his cigarette case and passed her one. "Anything else sweetheart?" He asked keenly.

Melanie placed the cigarette between her lips; it was best to pretend he hadn't said anything at all. If she could ignore them staring at her boobs, she could ignore their stupid 'compliments.' They were giving her a ride she should try and show some appreciation. These men were with the military, and that made her feel nervous. The last thing she needed to do was upset them, who knew what they would do.

"Let me get that for you." The black-haired man said coyly; he leaned in closely before she could object. He continued to smirk as he smoothly snapped his fingers conjuring a precise flame. Her heart sunk once more as tried to look impressed with his display. One glance at his shoulder told her more then she wanted to know about this 'Military Dog.'

 _Oh so not only is he a Colonel but he's a state alchemist as well. Fantastic, I'm sharing the car with a man who likely helped carry out mass genocide in Ishval. I can't just sit here with these monsters. How don't they see how wrong what they're doing is? I don't know how they can wake up and look at themselves in the mirror every day._

"Thank you." She muttered exchanging looks with the driver. Her eyebrow quirked as her cheeks flushed lightly. Unable to dispel her curiosity she a quick look at his shoulder. It appeared he was a lower rank, a Second Lieutenant explaining why he was the one driving. Bitterness filled her as she thought of all the mean women and children these two assholes must've killed. That made her father come to mind, a topic that always angered her greatly. Her right foot began to twitch in agitation; luckily it seemed neither of the men had noticed.

"It's so funny I pass by this place all the time, I might just have to stop in now that I know I can see you there." He leaned in closer to her. "With this dreadful weather, I'm sure your boss will understand you not making it in today." Melanie clenched her fist. She wasn't about to tell him that if she weren't there, she would lose the job. It was embarrassing and also not his business.

"Alright, I think we're here." The man called 'Havoc' said, he turned back in his seat locking eyes with her once more.

"By the way, I never got your name?" Though it was rude and the last thing she needed was to upset a Colonel she found herself darting from the car. She was thankful she didn't have to give those weird perverts her name.

"Thank you!" Melanie slammed the car door shut before darting into the café and past the cashier, Elsie in a mad dash to the back room. Maybe she had made it on time after all. Once in the back Melanie found a towel and began wiping herself down to no avail. Her heart sunk when she glanced up at the clock, she was nearly ten minutes late.

"What exactly do you think you're doing?" Steiner barked from the doorway "What did I say?!" She blushed, of course, she remembered what he said, but he couldn't have meant it. "If you're late one more time don't even bother coming in. I don't care if it's five minute or fifty. You're fired, clear out your locker and go home. Elsie will pay you out what you owed." Melanie opened her mouth to protest, but the boorish man simply eyed her and sucked his teeth. "Look at you; it's no wonder you can't keep a job. You look like a complete mess; you don't even have your boots zipped up. Also, you're completely covered in filth, it's disgusting. Get out of here now!" He didn't need to tell her twice within moments she had run back to the entrance of the café where Elsie stood smiling dumbly.

"Oh my, you look like a mess today! I'm sorry about the whole you getting fired; I wouldn't worry if I were you. A pretty girl like you probably always lands on your feet, besides you have that handsome man of yours to help out." She handed Melanie 40 dollars.

"That's it?!" Melanie said flatly, sure she was late, but she had still worked 30 hours this week. There was no way this was all she would be taking home. Sure Mikael wouldn't mind helping her out with expenses for a bit, but this was preposterous.

"Well, he told me to make deductions from your last paycheck for all the food and coffee you've dropped as well as cups and plates you've broken." As ridiculous as it was Melanie quietly sighed and stuck the bills in her bra. Arguing wouldn't make a difference all she could do now was keep a stiff upper lip. She wouldn't let him see her cry and have her dignity too.

"Thanks," Melanie stated flatly walking out the café door and back into the pouring rain. Her feet slightly dragged as she walked back towards her apartment.

 _Guess I might as well stop in Mikael's house now. He's on the way back and all I want it to get out of these wets clothes I'm freezing. Oh man, I hope my buyer likes the painting and leave me a nice big tip. After today I can certainly use the cash. I guess I need to start looking for another day job tomorrow._

She stopped outside his building for a moment to catch her breath. Walking in the rain all morning was more exhausting than she initially thought. A sudden shock pulsed through her as she suddenly hit the floor. Her eyes darted upwards when she saw it was the man in the white suit from earlier that morning discomfort filled her once more. The man glared down at her, the look in his eyes was one she had never seen before, it was almost like a blind rage but worse.

"Watch it!" The words slipped from her lips; this was all it took to set him off. He gripped the collar of her blouse and pulled her up from the ground violently. Melanie winced in pain as her limbs dangled awkwardly.

" Just who the fuck do you think you're talking to now? Shut your mouth, you stupid bitch." She couldn't even respond to strange man before he had tossed her back on the ground and ran off. Melanie found her way to her feet; her hands trembled as she fumbled for the keys. A sirens wail could be heard in the distance only adding to her unease.

Walking up the stairs, a small smile began to spread across her lips. In a few moments Mikael would draw her a nice warm bath and lay out a change of clothes and this awful day would at least have a happy ending. She would let him know about the strange man, how she got fired and the asshole bus driver who had driven off on her.

"Hey, sweetie. Boy, do I have a story for you. You're never going to believe the day I've had." Melanie shouted as she walked into his apartment. Countless files covered the floor; she attempted to avoid them as she began to take off her boots. It sounded as though he had hushed her. She twisted her pigtails try to get some of the wetness out. "Why are you hushing me_."

Melanie's heart dropped once more as she stepped into the room and saw a strange blonde haired girl who lay naked in bed beside him. "You can't be serious..." Melanie muttered bitterly, swallowing her tears back she merely turned and walked away.

"Baby, I can explain… She's my cousin you see, she's from a small town_" He began to follow after her, she didn't care even looking at him disgusted her. Of all the things that had happened today, this had to be the worst. "Are you ok, you're bleeding?" It hadn't even occurred to her that she must've scraped her left knee after

"Do I look stupid to you, forget it! I never want to see your disgusting face again! I'm leaving, here's your key." Melanie shouted, and her hands fumbled to get his keys off, all she wanted was to leave as quickly as possible. "Don't even think of speaking to me again." She stormed out of his apartment not even bothering to close the doors behind her. To her dismay, he was running and calling after her, but that didn't matter. Seeing him with that woman was the last thing she needed to see today. A lump continued to form in her throat as she began sprinting to her apartment.

I have to look at the positives; I still have a roof over my head. Even if it a roach-infested studio from hell, when I get home I can dry off and finish that painting. I also have some food in my belly; it may be stale bread, but there are some people with nothing to eat. The military has ruined the lives of so many people so much worse than the troubles I'm having now. Though I haven't seen him I still have my brother; some people have no one at all. Ugh who am I kidding, this sucks. Hmm, it looks like the trucks are on my block and the smoke.

"This has to be a joke!" Melanie chocked out running towards the smoldering building. "How could this even happen with all of this rain? You have got to be fucking kidding me!" She screamed as she stood outside of the police line. She tried to cross the police line, dazed by the sight of the fully engulfed building.

"Miss, you need to take a step back." An officer demanded while gripping her arm firmly; tears began to run down her cheeks as he turned to face him.

"Tell me what the hell happened right now!" She ripped her arm from his griped glaring up at him. "This shit hole was my home! Tell me what am I supposed to do now!?" The tears flowed freely mingling with the rain that continued to pelt down on her.

"I'm going to need to calm down now and step away; this is still under active investigation." He stated flatly. It appeared he was just another drop in the bucket that was her shitty day.

"Active investigation!?" She was suddenly unable to put her wrath aside. "Tell me what the hell am I supposed to do?! That place was all I had left, and you're just telling me to calm down?! You know what was in there?!"

"I am giving you one more warning, now shut up and take a step back!" She noticed him place a hand on his gun. Not even that mattered anymore.

"It was a portrait! One that I've spent the last three months of my life pouring my blood sweat and tears into a portrait that was going to change my life! Now it's gone, and you expect me to take a step back and calm down! Fuck you!" She screamed giving him a small shove, by this point she looked and felt like a raving lunatic. No one else knew what she had been through that day. Most would have snapped already.

"I'm going to need you to put your hands behind your back." The officer coldly said as he pointed his handgun at her, causing her jaw to drop. She hadn't thought he would take her into custody at gunpoint.

"Are you fucking kidding me? Why? I did nothing wrong you have no right to do this." The officer removed handcuffs from his belt and quickly slapped them on her wrists tightly. Sure she had shoved him, but who could blame her?

"At this time I believe you pose a threat to both yourself and others. Also, you just assaulted an officer. I'm going to take you down to the station, when you've calmed down we will have someone take your statement about this incident. Now, be a good girl and give me your full name." He chided smugly.

"Suck a dick you pig." That was the last thing she shouted before the officer roughly lowered her into the back of the police car.

 _Awesome now I'm being arrested. This is just what I needed. Well, I guess I'll have someplace dry to sleep for the night. I think I should be thankful I wasn't in the apartment when that explosion went off. But why did it have to happen today, why did it have to destroy my work._


	3. Unwanted Family Reunion

She hadn't even noticed that they had arrived at bookings until the officer opened the car door. Her emerald eyes remained fixated on the floor. She wondered how much different things would've been if she had just stayed home.

 _I suppose I would be dead if I had done that, I guess I should be thankful for that at least._

"Get out." He demanded, Melanie hesitated for a moment. The officer gripped her arm violently it was clear he would have no patience for her. "I told you to get out!" He pulled her crudely from the car. "My patience is wearing thin."

"Get off of me, you bastard I can walk." She attempted to free his arm from his grasp. He only tightened his grip the more she tried to struggle free. With an annoyed sigh, Melanie stopped resisting as they entered bookings. She stood silently stewing in her rage as the officers spoke about what room to bring her. How could he they think it was reasonable to treat someone? All she did was tell some asshole in a uniform to fuck off and give him a teeny tiny shove. They left her in her cold, wet clothes and dragged her off towards an interrogation room.

Discomfort came over her as he opened the door to a small vacant white room with one mirrored wall. The air was chilled and stagnant. With a slight shove, he moved her to the cold metal table in the center of the room. He harshly yanked at her cuffs before attaching them to the center of the table. Her cheeks flushed with anger, how could he had chained her up as though she were some crazed serial killer.

"Sit tight sweetheart. I'll make sure someone's in to see you as soon as possible." He snarled mockingly before slamming the door shut, leaving her to sit alone cold and silent. She shuddered; thankfully she had cried herself out on the car ride there. The fewer people who saw her like that, the better. She tapped her foot anxiously hoping someone would arrive soon. The sooner someone showed up the sooner she could leave and well she would figure that out later

"So no name, huh?" It was odd but the voice she heard sounded familiar, though she couldn't quite place it. It made no difference who her interrogator would be. She was still a citizen of Amestris, and they couldn't just lock her up like this and leave her to freeze to death. That soldier did it on purpose; it was just like a military man to want to see someone else struggle.

"Yes Second Lieutenant, she appeared only ten minutes after the explosion claiming she lived there. Upon arriving at the scene, she became hysterical and began to assault the arresting officer physically and verbally. Even when we took her into custody, she refused to cooperate. We thought she was acting strangely, could be she's involved or knows who's responsible."

"Right, well at this point any lead is a good lead. Let's see then.." As the door opened a lump formed in her throat, just when she thought her day had hit an all-time low it somehow found a way to get worse. Of all the soldiers in Amestris it just had to be him, didn't it? Melanie shut her eyes tightly, her leg continuing to twitch in frustration.

"Melanie? What are you doing here?" The man huffed, she opened her eyes narrowly to get a look at him once more. His face was beginning to turn red, the same way it always had when something flustered him. "Why the hell are you walking around dressed like… well, that?" He growled at her he hit forehead in apparent irritation. "Don't tell me you do… that for a living…" She pressed her head down against the cold metal table in shame. Of course he would be here what would this day be without her older brother coming to interrogate her, and apparently, a hooker was the first profession that popped into his head upon seeing her.

"First of all how dare you even think I would resort to selling my body, I would punch you if I could you asshole. Secondly, I could ask you the same question; I don't believe this is a coincidence." Melanie sighed as looked him over; he had gained a few belt notches that much was certain. Overall nothing else had changed, not his robust and bearded jaw or his messy fiery orange crew cut. Of course, she knew he worked for the military it was one of the reasons she had cut contact with him two years ago. It wasn't the only reason, but it was undoubtedly a contributing factor.

"I'm working, smartass. Trust me I'm just as surprised as you." He slammed the door shut behind him. For a minute he stood there frowning down at her, it appeared he was just as 'excited' to see her. His thick brow furrowed as took the chair opposite her with an exasperated grunt. Putting his elbows up on the table he crossed his hands over his lips. "Now just shut up and make things easy for me for once. God Melanie, I'm hoping that this is all just one big misunderstanding for your sake." He grunted, shaking his head in disappointment. Melanie glanced up at him; her emerald green eyes were piercing him like daggers. "Don't look too upset; I'm sure I can still get you out of this mess. Even if you haven't spoken to me in over two years, I'll still try and help you out, little sis." He gave her a confident grin, Melanie scoffed and brought her forehead down to the cold metal table once more.

"I'd rather sit in jail all year then have to listen to one more word. Believe it or not, Heymans I've been doing just fine on my own. Up until this afternoon, I had a job, a serious boyfriend and a place to call home. I don't want any help from you, the price of your 'help' is to rich for my taste." She spat at him. "You only bail me out because having a relative in trouble looks bad for you. You've always been just like dad in that way, worried about appearances. Now I feel I've made myself clear; I guess you should take me to my cell now 'sir.' I won't be telling you anything." She furrowed, Heymans chuckled at her haughtily rubbing his rough hand through the stubble on his chin. Melanie turned her gaze towards the floor with a huff.

Did he think she was making some joke? The fact was Heymans wasn't a bad guy; he just had a way of rubbing her the wrong way. Most people couldn't understand why Melanie hated when he bailed her out, they would've loved always having someone to fall back on. Yes, in theory, it was terrific, but none of them had to deal with the aftermath. The disappointed looks, the innumerable 'I told you so.' Followed by a lifetime of 'Remember when's' every single time you saw each other. It sucked knowing that he found her so utterly incompetent. She didn't need to be around anyone who didn't believe in her.

" Ok, ok, calm down firecracker. Like I said before I'm here for work. So enough small talk little sis, I have to get down to business. Where were you between the hours of eight am, and ten am today?" Melanie sat back in her seat as a chill sent a shiver down her spine. He looked her over once more, before shifting uncomfortably in his seat. Quickly he averted his gaze as his cheeks grew red once more. "Jeez you must be freezing, look how wet you are. How can you leave the house dressed like that especially in this rain? Someone get her a damn blanket or something. I can't talk to her when her_" Hey shouted.

"Breasts," Melanie said flatly, enjoying how much the word made him squirm.

"Someone cover her up now please!" Heymans shook his head lazily " How can you even stand to walk around like that." She shrugged before coyly staring at him.

"Well getting wet is what tends to happen when one gets caught in the rain brother." Within moments a lower ranking officer came in and placed an annoying itchy gray blanket over her shoulders. He was particularly sure to cover her chest. It wasn't exactly comfortable, but it was better than nothing.

"That isn't entirely what I meant…" Heymans muttered angrily. Melanie shrugged once more.

"As I said to the boar-headed officer at the scene I lived there that place was my home." His eyebrow twitched in irritation when he realized she wasn't going to answer his question. "I'd been living in the crap hole for the better part of two years. I was walking home_."

"Listen, Mel. This statement will go a lot smoother if you listen and answer my questions instead of just saying whatever you feel like." He cut her off causing a rush of frustration to consume her. It may have been a while since she had last seen him, but this behavior was not anything new from him. "Now start at 7:45 am, where were you then?"

"At my job you jackass." She snapped. "Well walking in the rain to get there then at my job." She said her jaw clenching when he merely laughed her off. It was just one of the many things he did that tended to annoy her. It was infuriating the small things he did to belittle and humiliate her.

"It's great to hear that you have a job, believe it or not, I worry about you." Outwardly it seemed meant well, but Melanie knew he meant it as a jab. It was especially embarrassing since she had just gotten fired that morning. She let out a long sigh just wanting this interrogation to be over so they could go their separate ways once again. "So if you were working this morning why were you back at your apartment at 10:08 am?"

"Well, I guess I should say my former job. I got fired this morning," Heymans lost his balance for a moment almost causing him to fall out of his seat.

"Ah! Can't say I'm surprised to hear that Mel. It's hard to get up when you spend all night doodling isn't it?" Heymans laughed causing her to clench her jaw. He had never been supportive of her wish to be a painter. That much was clear from the last time he saw her. "I bet you were late countless time, that's why you got fired." Melanie glared up at him coldly. This doubt was precisely the condescending tone she hated about him.

"Shut up; I must've slept through my alarm. The crazy rain certainly didn't help anything either. Also, it wasn't a stupid doodle it was my masterpiece!" Heymans crossed his arms over his chest and grinned cheekily. "So what? If you don't cut it out with that look right now, I swear I'll stop talking." She shut her eyes and huffed in annoyance. "I was late, and my pervert boss fired me for it. I decided to go home after that… I even had time to stop, ugh well that part isn't essential."

"Every detail of your day from 8 am to 10 am is critically important, tell me." He demanded. Her cheeks grew warm with embarrassment. How could she tell him she caught her boyfriend sleeping with another woman? She didn't doubt he'd be just as uncomfortable hearing it as she would be discussing it.

"Ugh... Well, I stopped over at my boyfriends' house to dry off and grab a change of clothes."

"So this is your idea of changing into some dry clothes?"

"No this is still my uniform you asshole!" He rubbed his chin quizzically.

"What kind of profession does he have, is it something stable?" Melanie would've punched him if she could.

"I don't see how his profession has anything to do with this. Especially since I caught him with another woman, as soon as I saw that I left immediately and continued home." Heymans face flushed, it was hard to tell if it was shame or anger he was feeling. Melanie suspected it was a mixture of both.

"Oh Jeez." He muttered, "Yeah I guess I didn't need to know that… Anyway moving on, after you left what happened?" It was a relief he wanted to sweep that under the rug as well. Talking about your failed sex life with your estranged brother was high on her list of 'Things I never want to do.'

"Well, I left still dressed in my soaking wet, filthy outfit and continued home. As soon as I saw the building, it was just the cherry on top of this awful day. Like I mentioned before I had been working on a painting for an essential client. It had taken me months I was supposed to deliver it tomorrow. He was going to pay me 5,000! Can you even imagine how angry I am right now?! Have I answered all of your questions 'sir' and am I free to go now?" The hulking man sat back in his seat, crossing his arm over his chest once more as scowl played across his face. It was a look she was all too familiar with, the one he liked to give before doling out unwarranted brotherly advice and help.

"It doesn't seem you had anything to do with this so of course, you're free to go," He said taking the handcuffs off her hands. She rubbed her wrists for a moment before beginning to stand. "However as your older brother, I can't just let you go off into the night with no job, no home, and no prospects. You don't even have a wallet. Besides we're the only family, we've got left. I know we don't always see eye to eye_."

"That's an understatement," Melanie interjected while wrung her long auburn pigtails out on the metal table in a small act of defiance.

"Listen, I'm serious. I want to get to know you again, especially now that we've lost mom too. I never expected that… Well, I just never thought you'd take it that way. I can't shake this feeling that if I let you walk out that door, it'd be the last time I'd ever see you. I can't let you go without making sure your alright first." She sighed, of course, she loved her brother she just hated the fact he always played the role of 'fixer' in her life. It wasn't the worst trait one could have, and she'd be lying if she said it wasn't handy. It just seemed to happen so frequently; it was hard not to wonder if he always expected failure from her. Whatever the case, she felt as though he helped her more from pity and responsibility then brotherly love.

"Listen it's a nice offer, but I think I'll pass. I've been finding my way for a while now I always figure something out. So don't worry about me. I'll be fine, promise." Though she had no plan worked out quite yet, she would rather not have to move in with her brother.

"Why won't you let me help you?" He pleaded; it was so like him not to realize why she wouldn't be to keen on the idea. Heymans was always clever and analytical, but clueless when it came to her. "My place isn't huge, but you could stay there for free. At least stay until you find another job."

"You won't let me say no will you?" She finally relented; maybe it wouldn't be too bad living with him, it had to be better than being homeless.

"Not a chance, now come on I'll see what I can do about going home early. I'm sure you want to change and rest after the day you've just had." Melanie sighed as her brother stood up and left the room.

I _can't believe the day I'm having; I should be grateful he's taking me in. It would've been nice if I could be in some dry clothes already. Ugh, somehow it just makes everything seem so much worse. The last time I lived with him must've been about ten years ago, that was when he left to join the military academy. I was still young then only twelve, all I remember was being so angry he would want to be a part of something so disgusting…_

An hour passed before Heymans finally returned, whatever he had been doing for the past hour it had worn him out.

"Let's go before I get my ass chewed out again by the Colonel. Why are you still in those clothes?" He quickly fixed his gaze towards the floor.

"It's not as though I have a change of clothes on hand, in case you forgot everything I own just got destroyed by an explosion!" Melanie snapped crossing her arms over her exposed chest.

"Ah right, let's just get going."

A car was thankfully waiting for them outside, after being rained on the entire day Melanie never wanted to see another raindrop again. She shifted in her seat awkwardly regretting he decision more and more the longer the drive went on. It had been nearly two years since they had seen each other. When their mother died, he traveled up to the mountains for the funeral. Melanie had no desire to see him after that whole debacle.

I wonder why he's just acting as though nothing happened… Hmm, I guess it's for the best we don't need to make things any more awkward than they already are by pointing out the elephant in the room.

"Alright Mel, we're here." As they exited the car, she saw the plain brownstone that stood in front of her. Though it looked plain, it seemed much nicer than where she was living before. It wasn't surprising since the building itself was close to East Cities military headquarters, it wouldn't be a stretch if it were some State Military housing complex. She followed him up the stairs to a corner apartment on the second floor. "It's not much, and I haven't had time to unpack much yet. Believe it or not, work has been very hectic." Heymans opened the door, "Take your shoes off and wait here. I'll find you a towel and change of clothes. I don't need you tracking all of that through my apartment." Melanie unzipped her boots sluggishly, it wasn't exactly an ideal situation, but it would have to work. Tossing her shoes to the side, she took a few steps deeper.

The apartment itself was plain but pleasant, much more beautiful than where she was staying before. The floors were highly polished chestnut; the walls were bland eggshell white. Heymans wasn't lying though; it seemed he had just moved in. Boxes overcame the living room, but there didn't seem to be any rats or insects scampering about so she couldn't complain.

"Watch it; you're dripping water everywhere!" Heymans exclaimed before throwing a forest green towel at her. Catching it, she sighed once more before trying to towel off some excess wetness.

"How long have you been living here anyway? It looks depressing as hell…" She stated, resting the towel over her shoulders. "I mean I see a couch, but that's about it."

"Hmm, it's been a little less than a year now." He statement was a little shocking. She had been expecting him to say a month or two. "Hey don't look so surprised Mel. I told you I've been busy with work, why don't you take a bath or something? I'm sure you'll have no trouble finding it."

"Thanks." She flatly said before she walked past his closet-sized kitchen and through the white door on the right. Melanie started drawing a bath before undressing, oddly enough the more naked she got, the warmer she became.

As she settled into the modest porcelain tub, a wave of relief passed through her. It didn't even worry her when she heard Heymans in the other room whispering on the phone. At least she hoped he was on the phone and hadn't gone completely mad since the last time she saw him.

 _I should try and be nice. Heymans is a nice man, I mean all he's done is try and help me. Even if he did something as gross as joining the State Military. The State Military. I was only nine when they shipped Dad off to the Ishvalen war he was dead before my tenth birthday. That same year he ran off to the Military Academy leaving mom and me alone. I remember how she begged him not to go, but it didn't matter. I guess that was the start of this resentment… First my father than my brother. After what happened to mom I don't understand how he still works for them._

Melanie sat in the tub until a knock on the door drew her from her thoughts.

"Hey, could you get out now I'd like to use my bathroom at some point today."

"Fine, I'm getting out now." Melanie drained the tub and dried off before stepping into her brother's oversized black sweatpants. As she slipped into his sizeable white shirt, the pants fell… These clothes were not going to work; at least the shirt was so large on her it worked as a dress.

"Hey, I left you pants! I don't need you parading around the apartment half-naked."

"They don't fit fat ass." She wrapped her thick wavy hair into a towel.

"Ugh, just sit on the couch and stop being a smartass." Melanie did as Heymans said but not without a smirk. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad; maybe she would start to like him again. So far things hadn't been so bad, then again it had only been less than an hour. At least she was dry, and maybe she could eat something besides stale bread for once.


	4. The 'Incident'

Things hadn't been so bad during that first week, in fact, things were already looking up. She had already managed to get another job at a different local café. Heymans even made sure to wake her up before he left for work. Melanie took her time getting ready, pulling her thick auburn mop into two even pigtails on either side of her head.

The uniform for this place was utterly embarrassing, which she expected since she now worked at a Kitty Café. It was hard not to feel embarrassed as she clipped the black cat eats into her hair.

After ensuring she had her bag and keys she left feeling confident she would get to work on time. Melanie walked down the street a calm smile spread across her lips as she embraced the warm spring day. It was almost enough to ignore the confused looks and giggles as she walked past strangers. Her cheeks flushed pink as she lit up a cigarette.

"I can't believe it.." She heard a silvery voice call to her; her eyes hastily darted to the source. Her cheeks flushed a deeper shade of red when she saw it was the tall blond officer from the other day. "Do you remember me? I was one of the guys who gave you a ride the other morning. Oh man, I can't believe I get to see you again." Melanie turned her back to him, trying to act like she hadn't heard or seen him. " Glad to see you're dry today." Melanie remained silent; she hadn't realized how tall he was the other day. His crystal blue eyes looked her over "You look cute, on your way to work at that Kitty Café up the street." Without a second thought, she turned her back and continued on her way to work. How could he possibly know where she worked, was he stalking her? "I'm heading the same way." His comment only furthered her belief that he was some creepy stalker.

"I'd prefer to walk alone thank you. Please stop following me." The man laughed, her fist clamped shut as she gnawed her bottom lip irately.

"I'm not following you; I just guessed that was where you were going. Why else would you have those ears on your head? In any case, I'm going that way too." She kept her gaze fixed on the floor as he walked beside her. "I never got your name the other day."

"That's because I had no reason to give it to you sir. I said thank you for the ride that should be enough, now please leave me alone." Her voice had begun to take a shrill tone. Who did he think he was following her around like this? How dare he stand there gawping at her?

"Sorry miss, I didn't mean to upset you. Here a peace offering." He pulled out his silver cigarette case. He casually flipped it open, extending towards her. She glared up at him while pushing his hand out of her face.

"Thanks, I'm good." Melanie pulled out one of her own and lit it. She quickened her pace hoping he would get the hint and leave her alone. To her dismay, he was still walking lazily behind her every time she glanced back at him

Only two more blocks to go, I can do this. Just ignore the creep and keep on walking. If I don't find a job, Heymans probably will. I doubt I'll like whatever he picks. Ugh, I never should've made the stupid bet with him.

Her heart fluttered with excitement as she saw the façade of the sleazy Kitty Café. Before she could enter the cafe, the Second Lieutenant called out her once more. Why couldn't he get the hint and leave her alone!

"I get it if you don't want to give me your name but take this." He pulled out what appeared to be a business card and presumptively pressed it into her lily-white hand. "Well the back is my number, in case the day ever comes where you'll let me take you out to lunch sometime."

That was the last straw; Melanie tossed the card back in his face. She nearly slapped him, but thankfully thought better of it. Instead, she merely let out an exasperated scream drawing the attention of people within the café as well as random people passing.

"I've had enough! Are you such an arrogant ass that you can't see I don't want anything to do with you! So you gave me a ride once, so what?! Who the fuck cares?! I should worship you for decent human kindness. Even then you and that awful Colonel could hardly take your eyes off my breasts! You think I'm stupid and I didn't notice." The tall blond man's cheeks flushed red as he raised his hands up.

"Maybe don't scream that so loud." He muttered embarrassed by her outburst.

"I'll say whatever I want, at whatever decibel I please! You think just because you're with the State Military I should worship the ground you walk on? You're all the same. Now I will say this once more. Thank you for the ride and the goddamn cigarette. Now please leave me the fuck alone!" The crowd had begun to whisper and point after Melanie had finished her outburst, she turned to enter the café in a huff only to see the manager shaking his head in the doorway.

"If you think I'm going to let you work here after treating a man of the military that way you've got another thing coming!" Ladies who worked in the café had already flocked over to him uttering their apologies for her 'heinous' behavior. Melanie just smirked and shook her head; at least it wasn't raining today. Her emerald hues pierced through him as he continued to stare dumbly at her. She flipped him off before lighting a cigarette and defiantly walking away.

So she had lost the first job she found, it hadn't taken her long to find this one she was sure it wouldn't take long to find the next one.

When Heymans arrived home later he, of course, had a lecture about lateness in store for her. She wasn't going to tell him that she wasn't lateness that had gotten her fired, but verbally exacerbating a perverted Second Lieutenant. It would be fine tomorrow was a new day, and for now, she had a roof over her head a meal in her belly and a stockpile of cigarettes. Everything would be fine.


	5. Growing Pains

"Get your lazy ass up!" Heymans flicked her delicate nose roughly, rudely waking her from her sleep. "You know what today is right?"

"Leave me alone," Melanie mumbled pulling the brown wool blanket over her eyes. She let out a small groan as she stiffly turned over on the worn red couch. "I'm so tired you have any idea how much I drank last night?"

" Yeah, I do I told you not to and you didn't listen. I told you the deadline for our little wager was yesterday. You failed to find a job in the time allotted. Not to worry I found a job for you, and if you don't give it your all so help me god! I don't have any problem helping you out, but I won't condone laziness. Now get up and get dressed, you start today and you're running late." Heymans yelled.

It had been nearly two months since Melanie had started living with her elder brother. So far things had been relatively pleasant, he had bought her a modest new wardrobe kept her fed and warm. He even bought her cigarettes, though she was never allowed to smoke them in the apartment. The most helpful thing was the Heymans was working most of the time, which lead to plenty of alone time for Melanie. Since he would not buy her paints and canvases, she spent much of this free time asleep.

Unfortunately, after she was from the Kitty Café for her rude outburst word seemed to have gotten around, even when she found a job it wasn't long until they found out who she was. Heymans was naturally growing annoyed with her apparent inability to get to work on time. Thankfully he hadn't found out she was blackballed from working at all the local cafes. Even the shady ones wanted nothing to do with her.

A month prior Heymans had brought home her favorite whiskey. The two sat and drank swapping fond memories. After they were well into the bottle, Heymans made a bet with her. A wager that she accepted in her dumb drunken state, Heymans had played her like a fiddle. He said that if Melanie found and held down a job within a month, he would buy her a canvas, paints, and brushes, but if Melanie failed Heymans would find a job for her. Whatever work it was, no matter how much she hated it she had to give it her all. Now she realized how dumb it was to accept the bet with such uneven stakes.

"Hurry up! I swear if we're late for this no cigarettes for a week! I'm not joking I don't care how bitchy you get, now come one get up." Melanie sighed deeply; she knew whatever job he had in mind she would hate. It was likely some boring office job locked away answering phone calls and greeting guests. "You made a bet; a Breda never backs out of a bet. Now get up."

"Ok, jeez I'm getting up." Stretching Melanie sat up her brother impatiently pulled her to her feet before urging her towards the bathroom.

"We're leaving in five minutes. I left you an outfit in the bathroom." Melanie waved him off and shut the door. He had hung a knee-length navy blue pencil skirt and white linen blouse on the door. Wherever he was taking she now knew for sure would be stuffy and awful. She got dressed as fast as she could before opening the door. Heymans grabbed her shoulder and impatiently and led her to the door, she hardly had time to slip on her plain black heels before exiting the apartment.

While sitting down in the front seat of his car, she lit a cigarette. Heymans groaned though he was the one buying them for her he still hated it. Melanie smirked and blew the smoke at him playfully.

"Agh! Will you stop messing around? Listen I think I've got you a great opportunity. You can't mess this up for either of us. When you want to get angry, please think of our bet, a true Breda would never back out on a bet. Mom never did." It was true; their mom sure was a stubborn woman. Melanie was slightly confused when he seemed to stop in front of the East City State Military headquarters. She glared at him wanting to give him the benefit of the doubt.

"Hmm, so where would this job be… I know you wouldn't get me a job with you here with the State Military." She laughed haughtily; this was undoubtedly some scare tactic. "Now I know my older brother who claims to love me very much would never do something so stupid and cruel!" An edge was coming into her voice as he continued to idle the car.

"Well sorry to disappoint you sis, but this is your stop. Now just shut up, take this paper it will get you into the building. It doesn't matter how you feel about them, right now it seems they're the only people in East City willing to hire you. I work investigations you dumbass; you don't think I know how no restaurant or cafe in the city will hire you after you verbally assaulted another member of the State Military… Again." He sighed and shook his head, clearly disappointed. "Now hurry up and go, I'll park the car. I better see you in there." Melanie opened her mouth to object, but thought better of it when she saw the stern look on his face. He almost looked as scary as their father had when he was cross. Silently she left the car and made her way towards the entrance.

The State Military building was the absolute last place she'd ever want to work. It was no secret what she thought of the government, but for her honor, as Breda, she would have to try. If her mother saw any different, she knew how it would disappoint her.

"Halt, military personnel only." A black haired female officer at the front door stopped her.

"I have this." She said shakily raising the note her brother had just given her.

"Ah, right sorry Miss Breda we've been expecting you. I'll have an officer take you to the Colonel's office." Her heart dropped as she offered an unsteady smile. So whatever job Heymans had landed her it involved a Colonel, lovely. For a moment she thought maybe it would just be sorting through endless files in some musty old basement.

Another female officer greeted her before leading her to an office on the west side of the building. She was surprised when she saw so many women, though it didn't surprise most of them were extremely low ranked answering phones and such.

"This is where I leave you. Colonel Mustang should be expecting you inside." Melanie nodded and watched anxiously as the female officer left her alone in front of the grand mahogany doors. She couldn't just turn and run, a bet was a bet, and unfortunately, she had made a bad one. Melanie reached a shaky hand into her pocket and pulled out a cigarette. A steady hand lit it for her before she could object.

"Can't say I thought I'd ever see you again." Melanie shuddered at the smooth voice. Her green hues glanced upwards coyly; her heart dropped when she saw it was the blond officer who had gotten her fired. He didn't look quite so smitten with her as before, so that was good. Though it was still very odd to run into him again, the building wasn't exactly small after all.

"I can see why a perverted stalker like would say something like that. Thanks for the light Mr. Stalker, but leave me alone now I'm to busy to deal with you right now." Melanie sighed, he laughed at her.

"Don't flatter yourself; I'll let you know I have a girlfriend. What reason would I have to follow a rude little twerp like you around." Well, his tone had certainly shifted since last time, though for some reason this felt worse. He looked her over, his bright blue eyes suddenly seeming icy. "Besides I work here, what reason could you possibly have for being here?"

"I work here too you dumbass. WHy else would I be in a shithole like this!" Slipped from her mouth, she bit her lips realizing saying that probably was not wise. "Well it was great to see you again 'sir,'" She said sarcastically. "Goodbye now, hope I never see you again."

"Stop acting childish, I doubt you even have clearance to be here. It seems unlikely you're with the military."

"Of course I'm not with the military!" She shouted before catching herself, she huffed and shoved the note in his face "I have this note. Look idiot see! Did you think I just snuck past the officers kept watch out front? This note is from my brother, and if he catches you harassing me, he won't be pleased." He snatched the note from her hand, whatever it said it seemed to annoy him. "Now leave me alone I can't be late."

"No way. That can't be real." He muttered, Melanie just ignored him as she snuffed out her cigarette. She plucked the note back from his hand and entered the oversized room.

"This can't be the right room." She mumbled when she saw the dark-haired man sitting at his desk. It appeared he was asleep, so she decided it would be best to leave. Her brother would have to understand. Melanie gasped when she bumped into the blond man. He grinned down at her before calling out to him.

"Oy! Colonel time to wake up, you'll never believe who's here to see us." Melanie glared up at him; he had seen the note why was he lying like this? He of all people knew she would never be there to visit them. The creepy stalker and his even more depraved boss.

"Why would I ever be here to see_" The Colonel looked up from his desk, it a moment his stern face seemed to soften. For whatever reason, the sight of her seemed to exhilarate him. He quickly rose from his desk to greet her.

"Oh my, you're that beautiful girl from the rainstorm. I'd recognize those eyes anywhere. I can't say I wasn't disappointed when I stopped in and they said that they fired you. Now I'm just happy to see you sought me out like this; I don't know what to say."

"I suggest you say nothing before she lodges a restraining order against you, sir. I highly doubt she came here to see you, now miss how can I help you." A golden-haired woman said sternly. Melanie smiled, relieved by the fact there was another woman there. Not just a woman, a practical one too. She walked over and handed her the note the Heymans had given her. The blonde woman smirked, as she folded the note. "I'll be right back both of you behave yourselves." With that, the only other person with common sense departed.

"Forget what Hawkeye said." The Colonel remarked as he approached her once more. "You may not have come here seeking me out_" She cut him off.

"You're right I'm here because_."

"I can tell you what she's doing here." The blue-eyed man said eyeing her while lighting up another cigarette.

"If you both could just shut up and let me_."

"Melanie what do you think you're doing raising your voice at the Colonel like that." Heymans' voice interjected. Melanie saw the dark-haired man's expression drop. "I'm sorry, Colonel Mustang. She's smart as a whip but unfortunately lacks tact.

"So, Breda it would've been nice if you told us that your sister was an obnoxious brat who looks absolutely nothing like you." The blond man stated annoyed. Heymans grunted as he punched the man roughly on the arm.

"Dammit Havoc don't you dare tell me you were trying to make a move on my baby sister!" Her brother growled the Colonel returned to his seat his dejection was apparent.

"Hey don't call me a baby! You know I hate it when you do that!" Melanie shouted at him.

"I should've known this was too good to be true" The Colonel lamented. "So you're Melanie Breda then, I must agree with Havoc you thankfully have no resemblance to your brother over there. I must say when I thought of what you might look like I imagined a simple female version of him. I'm shocked to see it was that cute young lady I saved from the rain."

"Mustang! Watch it! What are you talking about 'saved from the rain'?! What's that supposed to mean? If I find out you did something nefarious to her, I swear!" Heymans yelled, he quickly regained his composure "Listen, this is Melanie she's only 20 which means both of you better not get smart with her. I'm only helping her get on her feet again. We both appreciate this opportunity very much, right Mel?" Heymans nudged her sharply in the ribs.

"Be careful what you say about that day it tends to set her off." Havoc said snidely. Melanie clenched her fist glaring at him trying her best not to punch him as well. The three men looked at her expectantly; she managed to sigh and regain her composure.

"Yes, very thankful. Thank you so much for this opportunity, sir." It was hard, but she somehow managed to get the words out.

"Miss Breda, I have a jacket for you." The woman named Hawkeye had reentered the room and thrust a military jacket into her arms. "It's unorthodox, but due to your connections, it appears the Fuhrer has made an exception for you. You do not have to attend the Military Academy. Instead, you will work here with us and take the qualifying test in 6 months." Melanie simply glared at her brother; unsurprisingly he refused to meet her gaze. How could he do this to her? What made him think this was a good idea?! This job situation seemed dense even for him.

"As I said before, she's thankful for any opportunity she can get." Melanie put the jacket on, her green eyes piercing a hole through her brothers' head.

 _What am I doing? Why don't I scream at them all to fuck off and call it a day? All that's holding me here is a stupid bet nothing more._

"Wonderful." She said trying desperately not to sound sarcastic. Havoc seemed to be the only one who wasn't buying it. It appeared he hadn't told the others that she had freaked out at him only a month prior. For that she was thankful.

So it appeared the military she loathed so much would now become her employer. After all these years of hatred towards 'dogs of the military,' it was ironic that it seemed she would soon become one. Heymans was right; she needed to try and accept some responsibility. It was something he had told her over and over again, yet she never really cared until now. She was selfish, her whole life she had been selfish. It was time to grow up.


	6. Right of Passage

A month had already passed since she started working for Colonel Mustang. That first day was a nightmare, Riza had her inundated her with piles of paperwork. Mostly it was endless stacks of contracts she had to sign in regards to her employment. Each signature felt like another punch to the gut. She was joining the Military, the same entity in charge of nearly wiping out an entire race of innocent people. The same military who had gotten her father killed, then immediately took her brother into their ranks and away from her as well. Those same bastards who made her old existence in her hometown Semoy nearly impossible.

They took over operations of the mine towards the end of the Ishvalen war. It wasn't long until workers were paid pennies for their hard work and ore. Her mother was the wife of a war hero, and still, they watched and did nothing as she worked herself to death. The Fuhrer and his State military cared nothing for the people of Amestris, Melanie had seen that first hand.

The ride home was a barrage of shouts between the Breda siblings. It was the first time in two years the pair had fought so badly.

"I can't believe you would actually do this to me! After what they did to mom, how could force me to work for those monsters?!"

"You need to shut up and suck it up. Part of being an adult is doing things you don't want to do. You think I wanted to leave you and mother when I was 18?! Do you think I didn't want to return home to help out when she got sick? It made no difference what I wanted, I did what I had to do to keep the family afloat. I stayed at my station and paid her doctors bills, medicine, food, clothes you name it! You think working in the mine did anything other than kill her faster? You think any of that money made a difference? Are you so arrogant you actually think I did nothing to help? Do you really think I would just abandon you both like that? Do you really think Dad did?" Heymans chocked as he wiped his sleeve across his face, wiping away his tears. Melanie's heart dropped at the sight of her brother crying. All this time she only ever saw him as the boorish most hard-headed man she had ever met. She had honestly felt he didn't care, after seeing him cry she realized that undoubtedly couldn't be further from the truth. His tears made her feel guilty, it was an awful feeling knowing she was the one to evoke this from him.

"Still...You didn't have to join them… You shouldn't have done the same thing as our father. Didn't you see how it killed her when we were kids and dad was never around? You saw how they ruined father; it kept him isolated from us, and that isolation made him bitter! The State knew what they were doing, they made him nothing more than a cold, calculating killer! You could've found another way!" Melanie bawled.

"What the hell would you know about dad!" Heymans slammed on the breaks screaming as his rage quickly built. "You were just a foolish little girl when he died, how can you say that like you actually knew him! He was just doing his job like I am and like you soon will be. You think I agree with everything decision the government makes? If you don't know the answer to that question, then you really don't know me at all. I understand your reservations about this just trust me. Think bigger, the only way we can ever change the direction this country is going is by changing it from within." He sniffed once more before quickly wiping his face. "Mom knew I was just doing what had to be done. She had to know." He whimpered.

Seeing him like that Melanie had begrudgingly agreed to continue to work for Mustang. As much as she hated the State Military, he was right that the only way she could change things was by being a part of it. Besides a bet was a bet. She was only happy her mother hadn't lived to see this day.

There were, of course, advantages to living and working together. One being that Heymans made sure to get her to work on time every single day. He even helped her study when they would get home each night. Work itself was dull, most of her day was spent sorting through files and answering phones. Havoc seemed to be keeping his distance, which was excellent in her book. Mustang, however, seemed to revel in embarrassing her or annoying Breda, whatever the case, he had to say at least one inappropriate thing a day. Honestly, since she had started studying for the Military Academies Exam she was so exhausted she hardly cared anymore.

The test was still four months away, it was odd, but Melanie actually found herself wanting to do well. She was studying almost day and night and had even begun to ask Heymans how she could get a weapon for herself. Melanie hated guns, but it was something she would need to get over eventually. It was the first time she was putting effort into something other than her art. Heymans was right if she wanted the Military to change she would have to work hard and try and shift things from the inside.

"Hey, Melanie come here for a quick moment please." Mustangs silvery voice called her from her mountain of files. Melanie quietly rolled her eyes as she made her way over to his desk. Whatever he had called her up for she was certain it wasn't work-related. She quirked her brow while crossing her arms over her chest. She was positive he had some sort of lewd joke for her, "I just wanted to say that, you've far exceeded my expectations. I'm confident that you'll do well on the written portion; however, the test has two more parts. It's time that you start building your strength and endurance for the test. Also, you need to learn how to fire a gun. You still have four months left, and I managed to get approval for this." He placed a handgun down on top of his desk. "It's yours, you can wear it on your belt just don't carry it around loaded yet. I had asked Lieutenant Hawkeye to take you to a range today and give you a feel for it, but unfortunately, she had urgent business to attend too." Melanie eyed the gun nervously, she grew up in the mountains guns weren't too common up there. Guns had been a source of discomfort for her for some time, she knew eventually she'd have to get over it she was just hoping to avoid it for as long as possible. She honestly felt relieved that Riza would be unable to take her today, the longer she could put off actually holding that thing the better.

"I guess I can take her." Havoc groaned Melanie cringed, he was the last person she wanted to do this with. Firing a gun would be uncomfortable enough on its own, she certainly didn't need to worry about this pervert leering at her. "I mean I am the second best marksmen next to Hawkeye. We can't have the little brat running around with an unloaded gun completely clueless. It looks bad for all of us." He smirked before taking a drag from his cigarette. She clenched her hands into a fist, the way he was speaking made it sound as though he was doing her some grand favor. Heymans slammed his fist down on the table, Melanie smirked as she glared over at Havoc. Thankfully her brother wasn't keen on him helping her either.

"First of all, the only one who can call my sister a brat is me. Got that?" Heymans loomed over Havoc menacingly. The blond simply quirked his brow seemingly surprised by Heymans outburst, " Besides I've been helping her just fine up until now. There's no reason I won't be able to help with this." He added hastily, Melanie smiled and offered a small nod of agreement. She hadn't even noticed the dense uncomfortable silence that had filled the room.

Well, Riza was certainly her first choice for a teacher, but Heymans was certainly better than that asshole Havoc. Suddenly everyone besides Melanie and her brother burst out into a fit of laughter.

"Hey!" He shouted defensively. "What's so god damn funny! Cut it out!"

"No offense buddy," Havoc rose from his seat before chummily slapping Heymans on the shoulder. "You do remember we were in the academy together, now I know there's no way you'd forget how you almost flunked the shooting portion." Her brother's face turned red as he began to grind his teeth. "Let's be honest you won't be much help, especially since she needs to learn the basics as quickly and efficiently as possible. It's also likely her test result will be held to higher scrutiny since she doesn't have any real formal training." Havoc laughed, Melanie couldn't help but smile herself. It was wrong, but seeing him get this worked up was nice, it wasn't often she saw something he completely sucked at.

"He's right any time you spend with her on the gun range is time wasted," Mustang remarked. "Besides there was another more pressing matter I need you to look in too." He held up a thick file and waved it lazily towards the bulky redhead. "I suggest you go home and pack for a trip to the south. "

"No!" Melanie gasped, she blushed before throwing her hands over her mouth in embarrassment. Her brother was the main reason she had been getting up and to work on time. It would suck if she put in all this work only to be fired for tardiness. "Sorry, sir. I only mean, I live in his apartment how am I supposed to get in without him…. He has the only key" She mumbled nervously feeling dumber and dumber with each word uttered. Melanie gritted her teeth at Havocs annoying chuckle.

"Well, I always have room for beautiful women at my place," Mustang replied smoothly. Melanie clenched her jaw trying not to cause a scene before she could speak Heymans was already out of his seat and pounding his fist on his desk.

"Not so fast Casanova, honestly between you and Havoc it's a miracle we haven't all been slapped with some sort of sexual harassment suit."

"I didn't even do anything! All I did was offer to teach her the basics, Mustangs the once trying to_" Heymans gave Havoc a small shove before the blonde could finish his thought.

"Don't you dare even think about it!" Her brother gave an irritated sigh before returning his attention to her. "Mel I'll leave you with the key obviously. Anyway, when am I leaving boss?" Heymans asked hesitantly, Melanie wouldn't be surprised if he was concerned for her tardiness as well.

"Immediately, I want you on the 4 pm train for South City. Just go home and pack a bag as quickly as possible. There's a train ticket waiting for you at the station."

"Alright sir, I'm heading out. Mel, come with me for a second." They both saluted before she followed her brother outside of the room. "Listen I don't know how long I'll be away for just keep up the good work. I'm proud of you for seeing this through. Now don't burn the apartment down while I'm gone." He ruffled her hair. Melanie blushed before pulling her brother into a hug. It wasn't often he complimented her, she wouldn't let it go unappreciated.

"Well, that was sweet." Melanie jerked back from their hug at Havoc's silky voice; her cheeks flushed red in embarrassment. She was both embarrassed and annoyed that he was observing their private conversation "Hey, Breda you need a ride? You have to give her your keys don't you?"

"I'll just leave them under the mat for you. Don't smoke in the house and I better not come back to a pigsty!"

"You're the one who still hasn't unpacked..." She muttered.

"Havoc, you better keep your filthy hands off her if you know what's good for you!" Heymans barked, Havoc just rolled his eyes.

"I'm dating a real woman, I have no interest in your bratty kid sister." Heymans gave him a swift punch in the arm.

"Hey, what'd I say about calling her a brat! I'll call you when I arrive Mel, and if any of them try anything don't forget what I taught you." Melanie gave him a sharp nod before he turned and walked away.

"What exactly did he teach you?"

"That was a private conversation! Not that it's any of business, but he taught me some self-defense so I can defend myself from creeps like you, stalker!" She barked he face burning red, he merely shrugged and rolled his eyes as he handed her the pistol.

" Well maybe don't have private conversations in the middle of the hall. You're going to need that if you want to go to the shooting range. Mustang told me to take you now, I've already finished my paperwork, and we both know you'll probably never finish yours. Also, I'm pretty sure I told you to stop calling me a stalker. People are going to get the wrong idea."

"Of course I won't finish it all of you keep on pushing your work off on me! Also, how am I giving people the wrong idea, it's true you're a stalker!" Melanie shouted this conversation was becoming increasingly grating. The blonde frowned down at her as he lit another cigarette.

"Hey, don't complain it's a right of passage you brat. That's just the way things work so get used to it. Come on, you're wasting valuable range time." She trailed behind him slowly. Since coming to work here she really had seen much of him, when she did, he seemed to avoid interacting with her. Well, she couldn't really blame him after what happened in front of the Kitty Café.

Melanie was honestly a little shocked when he volunteered to help her out at all. She hadn't been especially kind to him, it was a mystery why he'd want to spend even one second alone with her. Melanie was even more dazed when they arrived at his car, and he politely opened the door for her.

"What are you waiting for? Come on let's get going." He said while gently nudging her towards the passengers' seat.

"Thanks…" She said slightly embarrassed, no one had ever done something so chivalrous before. It was becoming clearer that maybe he wasn't some creepy stalker. Her emerald green eyes lowered to the floor as she lit up a cigarette of her own. The car ride was unnervingly silent, Melanie glanced out the window just wanting the day to be over already. She let out a small sigh, unable to bear the uncomfortable silence any longer.

"So Havoc, it seems like you've known my brother for a long time. How did you two meet?" Sure she probably should just apologize to him for that day, but her pride would not let that happen. Instead, she would simply act like it never happened, well at least for now she would.

"Oh yeah," He kept his eyes on the road, he seemed pleasantly relieved that she had broken the silence. "Well, we were in the same class at the academy. So I guess it's been about ten years now. Wow, when I say it out loud, I have to say I feel so old." Havoc chortled, "He never really talked about his family much, well none of us really do. I knew he had a sister, but that was about it; he regrettably left out what a loud-mouthed brat she was."

"Didn't he just tell you to stop calling me a brat!" She shouted Melanie shifted in her seat anxiously fixing her gaze outside. "Well, I can't say I'm not surprised he didn't talk about home. He left home when I was young, and it caused some tension…" Melanie trailed off, Havoc wasn't someone she felt like getting into this with.

"Yeah, that's the case for most of us. I don't have any siblings, but my mother didn't talk to me the entire time I was in the academy. Breda's thick headed and stubborn as a mule when he wants to be I can only imagine how he handled telling you all."

"Well, it certainly wasn't news me or mother wanted to hear, and he knew it. He's good though he took me into his home and got me this job…" Though this wasn't her first choice when it came to employment, it was stable something she had lacked for years.

"Don't worry so much, you've got a lot of people who are going to help you now. That's what it means to be part of a squad."

His words weren't exactly relevant to her concerns, but it was still oddly comforting. Maybe she had judged everyone too quickly especially him. Perhaps it was brash to think all military men were merely scum. When they arrived at the gun range, Havoc promptly jumped out of the car to open her door and help her out. She was speechless as she took his hand in her.

"You ready kiddo?" Melanie crossed her arms over her chest while glaring up at him.

"Come on let's just get this over with."

 **(A/N)**

 **Thank you for reading/reviewing/following/favoriting. Havoc is such an under appreciated character I'm hoping you all continue to enjoy it.**


	7. Fully Loaded

Melanie hesitantly followed him into a run-down building as she continued to look around suspiciously. The once white façade was covered in cracks and moss. It seemed as though he had taken her to an abandoned building in the seedy part of town. She eyes him nervously hoping he didn't have anything nefarious planned for her here.

"This can't be the right place… It's so worn there is no way this place is safe. Especially not for shooting, the whole place looks like it'll come down on us any moment!"

"Yeah it's a little run down, but trust me if you shoot anything like Breda then you'll appreciate the privacy. After you." Havoc insisted as he opened the rusting metal door. Melanie took a reluctant few steps inside. The grey tile floors were cracked and covered in a thick layer of grime; the room was only lit by a single flickering fluorescent light near the counter. Melanie glanced back at the tall blonde, she was so unsettled by her surroundings she hardly cared that it seemed as though he had just been staring at her ass.

"Ah, Jean good to see you again." Havoc grinned as he walked towards the old man behind the counter. "Whos, the pretty lady with you. You know I appreciate the business but, my shooting range might not be the best place for a date, my boy. Especially not with a looker like her," Melanie shifted uncomfortably under the old mans gaze.

"You got it all wrong pops, she's Breda's kid sister. I'm just going to help her with shooting, can you set up the usual range for us?" The man's wrinkled jaw dropped for a moment as he looked her over once more before letting out a hearty laugh. Melanie stirred awkwardly wishing she had never come to this stupid range.

"No way! The fat gingers sister looks like that?" The man cackled uncontrollably, Melanie crossed her arms over her chest before glaring intently at him. "I'm sorry to laugh I just can't believe it… All right I'll set it up for you. With any luck, you won't shoot like him either. Thank you miss."

"For what?" She spat impatiently.

"I don't think you understand the last time I've seen a tight little body like that." Melanie clenched her fists her cheeks growing hot.

"Shut up pervert and set up the range." She crossed her arms over her chest protectively as they followed the man into the range.

"It's not fair that you're only yelling at me, he's been staring at your rack the whole time too."

"Gramps shut it!" Havoc gave the old man a sharp nudge before giving her an awkward laugh "The old codger is getting a little demented in his old age, he doesn't know what he's talking about."

"I already know this guy is a perverted stalker, I just have to deal with him right now and get this over with. Now just shut up and let's get on with it! " She blurted out "I'd really rather not have to do this. I hate guns." Melanie admitted, her eyes cast downwards as she self consciously shuffled her feet.

"I'm not either of those you brat! Now you shut up and try and show some appreciation. I'm the trying to do you a favor." The blonde sighed and shook his head at her. The pair stood in silence until the gross old man left the room. Havoc slipped out of his blue uniform jacket and hung it lazily on a chair.

Melanie noticed herself looking at him longer than she intended, she quickly shot her eyes downwards hoping he hadn't seen. She knawed the inside of her cheek nervously, unable to shake the butterflies in her stomach. Now wasn't the time to get distracted.

"Now stop talking, and let's do this." Havoc motioned to her gun holster. "Take your gun out, first things first I want you to load it. Lesson one: always treat your gun as though it's loaded. Second only point the muzzle at something you're willing to shoot." Melanie fumbled as she pointed the gun at the floor trying to load it, Havoc glanced down and smirked at her "Lesson three keep your finger off the trigger until your ready to shoot. Most importantly be sure of what your target it and what lays beyond it just in case you miss." Melanie's hands trembled so violently she dropped a few bullets on the floor.

"Sorry." She muttered before quickly crouching down to retrieve them.

"Relax, you can't let your nerves get the best of you, there's nothing to be scared of if you're careful and follow the rules." He placed a large hand over hers before taking the gun to finish loading it. "Watch me, this is how you should stand." She looked him up and down, all she could focus on was his unexpectedly muscular arms. "Here now you try."

Melanie held the gun in her shaking hands; did she really need to be good at this? It's not as though she would ever use this damned thing. Havoc let out a boorish chuckle, his mocking laugh only made her more nervous and self-conscience.

"Bend your knees a bit, lift your arms higher and stop shaking so much. Just take a deep breath and try and hit the sheet. Aim for the head or chest and anticipate some kickback." Melanie closed her eyes and squeezed the trigger. He wasn't lying about some kickback, she wasn't sure how the gun was even still in her hand. Havoc snickered at her seemingly bad attempt. " I guess I should've expected that next time keep your eyes open and please hold the gun tighter. Here." He walked up behind her and began adjusting her stance. With his body pressed against hers, she couldn't help but notice he smelt like cigarettes and cologne, a scent that slowly made her cheeks flush. "First of all, you're holding your gun too low, you have to be confident when you're holding this. You can't be shaking and shutting your eyes, you need to keep your arms steady and eyes on your target." Of course, he was right, but all she could focus on was the feeling of his sculpted body pressed against her. Or the way his warm breath seemed to nip at her neck, and his scent. It was all too much, the tremble in her knees began to worsen.

 _Dammit, why is he standing so close to me? I can't believe his holding my hands in his for so long. Aghh if this goes on any longer, I might just melt._

"You ready? "Melanie nodded her cheeks flushed, "Just remember to breathe." She kept her eyes locked on the target sheet before squeezing the trigger once more. "Much better. You have a long way to go, but I think we'll be able to squeeze a passing mark from you." To her dismay, he released her from his grasp and took a step back to observe her. "Alright keep shooting, I want to see how you do on your own." She shot for what felt like an eternity. Eventually, she could no longer feel the weight of the gun in her hand, her trembling even stopped. To her surprise, she seemed to hit some good marks. This continued until her muscles were sore and her ears were ringing.

"I'm shutting down for the night, time to wrap it up." The old man's voice was a surprising relief, she quickly unloaded her gun it before placing it in the holster Havoc had given her earlier.

"Alright boss, we're done for today anyway." Havoc slipped back into his jacket not bothering to button it. He strolled ahead of her lazily, Melanie was shocked when they walked outside and were greeted by darkness. How long had they been in there? "Oh wow, I didn't even realize we were in there for so long. You must be exhausted."

"Yeah, I'm more hungry than anything. How do you think I did?" She asked nervously, Melanie was hoping she had done well enough to not have to do this ever again.

"Not the worst for someone who never held a gun before. It was certainly better than Breda. You just can't be so scared, when you're holding that gun your in control. You cant shut your eyes, you can't flinch. If you ever got into a situation where you have to use that thing that one-second can cost you your life. I think you've earned yourself a drink brat." He nudged her arm playfully as Melanie pouted up at him feeling like a child from his remark and actions.

"Stop calling me a brat, pervert!" Havoc waved her off and began walking towards his car glancing over his shoulder to make sure she was still following. Melanie felt a smile creep onto the corners of her lips as she ran behind him.

"You really shouldn't shout such lies so loudly especially in public, now sit down shut up and let me buy you a drink." He grinned over at her as he sat in the driver's seat. Melanie sat in the car with a small huff, she hated to admit it, but a drink with Havoc didn't sound half bad.

"Fine, you can buy me one drink, but no touching! Also, I don't drink cheap shit."

"Of course you don't. I'll drop you off afterward I'm pretty sure Breda would kill me if I let his little sister wander around the city on her own. I doubt even a drink will cool hot head of yours. There are tons of creeps out here just waiting for an opportunity to find a vulnerable girl."

She shot her emerald eyes over at him, so it seemed he was still slightly upset about what happened at the cafe.

"Yes, I'm aware I've met quite a few. Don't think I've forgotten the first time I met you and the Colonel. I saw you staring at me." He shook his head.

"Well to be fair you were…" He shook his head once more "Forget it! I don't know why you would even think that! At least I'm not completely blowing up in the middle of the street. I wasn't following you by the way! I was just heading to work."

"You can deny it all you want, I know what I saw. Heymans isn't even here right now so you can tell me the truth. Don't worry I would never tell him that his old school buddy couldn't stop undressing me with his eyes the first and second time we met."

"I do not deny anything! Why would I want to be with a brat like you? I've already got a real woman." He retorted, Melanie smirked playfully putting a cigarette to her lips. "In any case, thank you for not telling Breda about all of that. If its worth anything, I haven't told anyone about that day outside the café either."

"About what?" She asked coyly, Havoc smirked as he pulled into a parking spot. "Where are we?"

"Just a small pub, I figured you'd want some food too." Her stomach growled as if on queue. She blushed before swiftly exiting the car and making her way into the pub, Havoc trailed slowly behind her.

"Melanie!" She jumped when she heard someone call her name in the crowded pub. "Over here!" Her eyes darted through the sea of military uniforms and saw Colonel Mustang sitting in a corner booth. "Come on." He called, she looked back at Havoc whos mood also seemed to drop along with hers.

"Alright, we better go join him, or we'll never hear the end of it," Havoc muttered. He placed his hand on her lower back before ushering her towards Mustangs table.

"So, you're taking her on a date now? I knew I never should've let you be alone with her." Mustang lamented as they sat down. She slammed her fist on the table defensively, a slight blush creeping on her cheeks.

"Absolutely not!" She answered for them. "We were just getting a drink and some food before calling it a night. I would never be caught dead on a date with this guy." Yatsuko gestured towards Havoc who seemed to be intensely annoyed.

"Well that's a relief, you're far too pretty for someone like Havoc. Although I'm not surprised that he's trying_."

"Of course I'm not trying anything, I already have a girlfriend, I've been talking about her all week Mustang!"

"He always had a soft spot for pretty girls with big racks." Mustang said to Melanie, she crossed her arms over her chest not liking the playful tone in his voice, " Yeah, yeah Rebecca correct, the secretary, right? Sorry to tell you she would disagree. Look she's right over there being chatted up by another Colonel like me. " Havoc clenched his jaw, clearly embarrassed to see this Rebecca woman with another man. Melanie couldn't help, but feel a little bad for him especially when Mustang began to laugh. The Colonel must've been pretty drunk to actually say something like that to him. "The first day I met you I thought you were some sort of celestial water nymph."

"That was pretty stupid," She said bitterly. "Aren't alchemist supposed to be scientists?"

"What do you mean she doesn't feel the same?" Havoc whined, having an entirely different conversation of his own. "Why is she talking to him?"

"What do you want to drink?" Mustang asked leaning much to close to her. Melanie rolled her eyes as she brought her hand to his chest and pushed him away. Havoc huffed when he realized his question would go unanswered.

"Double shot whiskey, neat." She said flatly. "Top shelf."

"You heard her, go get the girl a drink." He ordered, Havoc lazily made his way to the bar. "A hard drink for a hard woman." Melanie shifted in her seat uncomfortably as she felt him slip his arm around her waist. "You can relax, we're not at work anymore." Once he said that relaxing was the last thing on her mind.

"Thanks, Colonel Mustang." She tried to maintain some semblance of professionalism despite his hand lingering on her waist. If he weren't her boss she would've slapped him by now; instead, she was stuck smiling through gritted teeth.

"You can call me Roy and like I said we're not at work no need to be so formal." She shuddered and glanced towards the bar hoping Havoc would return with her drink any second.

"Ok, well thank you for allowing me to go to the gun range today. I think I learned a lot." She tried to steer the conversation in another direction. To her relief he seemed to sit back, loosening his grasp.

"Is that so? Well, the sooner you're certified, the sooner we can have you do something better than sorting files. I think you would be a good asset on the field."

"Why did Heymans have to go down to South City anyway?"

"I'm afraid that's classified information, my dear. All I can tell you is that it has to do with the recent string of explosions throughout the city." When she saw Havoc come with their drinks a wave of relief washed over her.

"You do know Breda would chop your hands off if he saw you right now right?" He remarked sternly, Mustang chuckled and pulled her practically on top of his lap. He nuzzled his nose against her cheek before glancing up at Havoc.

"I'm only being friendly, besides what Breda doesn't know won't kill him. You got us the good whiskey I trust."

"Yeah, yeah, 'Friendly' my ass..." Havoc mumbled before taking a deep gulp of his dark amber beer. Melanie sipped her whiskey, it was smoother than she expected followed by a warm burn. He wasn't joking about it being 'the good stuff.'

"So you've been with us for over a month now, and I don't know anything about you."

"There's nothing to know really." She said hoping to get the focus off of herself.

"Of course there is! Tell me something about yourself anything." She rolled her eyes before taking a large gulp of her whiskey. "You grew up near Briggs right? It must've been a rough upbringing." Melanies' grip tightened on her glass, her home life was the last thing she'd ever want to talk about.

"With all due respect sir, I'd rather just call it a night. I have to make sure I get to work on time tomorrow." She drained her cup and quickly stood up. "See you tomorrow. Thank you for all the help Havoc."

"What about dinner?" She heard Mustang ask, Melanie left the table ignoring Mustangs complaints. She raised her hand offering a small wave 'goodbye', not wanting to even look back.

As she stepped outside Melanie sighed feeling genuinely relieved as she lit a cigarette. She felt a hand on her shoulder, she quickly jerked away.

"Mustang please just_."

"Hey sorry I didn't mean to frighten you." Melanie found herself letting out a relieved sigh. "Mustang isn't as bad as he seems, he just putting on an act and you don't have to put up with it if you don't want to." Melanie took a pull from her cigarette while eyeing Havoc suspiciously. "I told you earlier I can't let you go home alone. If something happened to you, I'm positive Breda would literally kill me." Havoc shook his hands innocently, she had to admit it made her happy that he wanted to walk her home. "Also if you want I can pick you up tomorrow morning. Wouldn't want you to be late." Melanie's lips curved into a smile before she gave him a sharp nod.

"Sure that sounds good thank you." Melanie turned and walked away, Havoc smiled as he walked silently beside her.


	8. Artistic License

Another month had come and go in the blink of an eye. Heymans still hadn't returned from the south, Riza had taken over her gun training the pair went after work for one hour every day. As much as she liked Riza Melanie was not a fan of her strict, rigid teaching style. Words of praise were few and far between, 'Too slow,' or 'Sloppy do it again, but better this time,' were far more common. Melanie often ended her days' muscles aching and ears ringing. It pained her to admit, but she wished Havod could have kept helping her shoot instead.

Since Heymans had been gone, it seemed Havoc was always around. He would take her too and the shooting range after every day. Jean would even pick her up after her time on the range. It wasn't as bad as Melanie would have thought initially, most of the time he drove Riza as well. Even when it was just the two of him, Havoc either kept the conversation light or nonexistent. It seemed he kept his promise and let no one else know of her blazing hot temper and embarrassing outburst. As long as he held up his end, she would never tell her brother how his closest friend had taken multiple passes at his kid sister.

Rays of sunlight slipped through the cracks in the blinds eliciting the slightest of groans to fall from her lips. Melanie rolled onto her side, shielding her eyes from burning the sun. Her green hues cracked open, when they landed on the alarm clock beside her bed she jolted to her feet. Her stomach churned as she skidded on the polished hardwood into the bathroom.

 _'Crap, is already 9:30? I'm an hour and a half late, why didn't that asshole Havoc come wake me up! God, Heymans will never let me hear the end of this_.' She thought as she began to brush her teeth. Melanie walked through the apartment to grab a uniform but paused when the calendar caught her eyes.

"Oh thank god.." She muttered to herself, "It's Saturday." Melanie sighed before walking to the bathroom sink to spit. "I guess I might as well make the most out of my day then." A small smile tugged at the corner of her lips as she slipped into a well-worn grey tank top and black shorts. She slid her feet into a dingy pair of dark brown boots. Melanie tied her hair up into two long auburn pigtails before grabbing her keys and walking out the door.

No shooting lessons no studying no work, no Havoc, just her and some paint and a canvas. She walked lazily to the store, Melanie was in no rush. The sun was high in the sky with a soft breeze, she couldn't have hoped for a better day to paint. It was the perfect day to go to the park and paint. After buying a canvas and some oil paints she found an empty bench in the park and set up her station.

It felt so good to paint again since she had lost her home it was impossible to find any time to do it. Melanie smiled as she continued to do a rough sketch on the canvas. She knit her brow in concentration, her tongue poking from her lips ever so slightly.

 _'What a beautiful day to do a scenic painting, I can't believe how perfect the lighting is.'_ She thought as she began painting the scene before her _'Crystal blue sky, whimsical clouds, inviting trees and there is even a withered old man I can use as a reference. He makes the perfect contrast to this beautiful day,'_

"What are you doing here?" She looked up from her work and saw Havoc staring down at her quizzically. Instinctively she clutched the canvas to her chest and tried to hid it from view. "Are you painting something?" He said with a chuckle as he took a seat next to her. He wiped the beads of sweat from his face before trying to rip the canvas from her hands.

"None of your business, Now hands off you're all sweaty and gross." Havoc managed to slip it from her grasp and held it out of her reach. "Give it back right now!" His crystal blue eyes widened as his jaw dropped ever so slightly, causing a cigarette to slip from his lips.

"Wow, you did this?" He asked, if Melanie didn't know him any better she might have thought he was impressed. She pouted her lips, crossing her arms defensively across her chest. His eyes remained glued to her work.

"Yes, it's just rough draft... Please, can I have it back now." Havoc gently placed it back on the easel before smirking down at her.

"I have to say I never expected a brat like you to be able to do something as impressive like this, I guess I should've pegged you as an artist."

"Whats that supposed to mean?" She snapped while dipping her brush into some paint.

"It just means that you're different that's all. Also, you're defensive, aren't most artists ridiculously defensive just like you?"

"What are you doing here?" She asked annoyed, she wouldn't even dignify his question with a response.

"Me, well I was going for a run. That's probably what you should be doing." He took a seat beside her, "You've worked on the written portion, and Riza says your shooting has much improved, but I see you still get winded after climbing up some stairs. Probably from all those cigarettes." He grinned. Melanie slammed her brush down and narrowed her emerald eyes up at him.

"Shut up like you're one to talk. Can you please just leave me alone and let me do this, I haven't been able to get any painting done since I moved into Heymans' apartment." Havoc leaned back on the bench and lit a cigarette for himself. He offered her one which she gladly accepted. "Thanks, now get back to your run or whatever. You stink." She lied, in fact, his scent was more arousing then usual.

"What? Can't I just watch for a little I promise I won't say a word." Melanie froze for a moment. Why would he possibly want to stick around?

"So you can just tease me like Hey does? No thank you, I'll find a different bench if I must." Melanie went to pack up her belonging, Havoc swiftly grabbed her hand.

"No nothing like that I swear. Listen I just want to take a little break from my workout, this will be some great entertainment. You won't even notice I'm here. I'm serious, this is very impressive."

"Fine, but if I hear so much as a giggle, I'm breaking this canvas over your head and leaving." She snapped, Havoc mimicked buttoning his lips shut before he sat back on the bench so far keeping his word.

At first, she could hardly focus on painting with him watching her like that. He wasn't saying or doing anything, but it was distracting nonetheless. Suddenly she felt acutely aware that all she was wearing something much more revealing than usual. If he had sat there to eye her, he was doing an excellent job of concealing it.

"I can't believe how good this looks." He said in awe while inching closer to her. Melanie blushed and glanced coyly at the ground. "I have to admit when I saw you were going to paint something I expected it to be awful. This is just...wow."

"You swore you wouldn't say anything. Besides, it's not done." He cheeks seemed to grow warmer and warmer by the second. "It's surprisingly hard to work with a pervert looming over your shoulder." She jabbed.

"You gotta stop calling me that..." He mumbled before locking eyes with her "If I were a pervert don't you think I would've tried to get a handful already." Havoc raised his hands, as though it were proof of his good intentions.

"The fact that you even thinking of 'getting a handful' is perverted enough on its own."

"Heh, I guess you have a point there, sorry." Melanie began packing her things up being especially careful not to smudge the still drying paint on her canvas. "Wait I said, sorry."

"I know I'm not mad or anything, I just want to head home now. I won't be able to finish this today, the lighting is already beginning to change, see?" She asked while pointing at the late afternoon sun. "You're small running break turned into a three-hour mid-afternoon rest."

"Can I walk you home?" He offered, Melanie actually felt walking home with him would be kind of sweet. She would never admit it to him, but he wasn't as bad as she first thought. A long and exaggerated sigh spilled from her lips.

"If you insist, just make yourself useful and help me with some of this stuff." She shoved everything into his arms aside from her work. Havoc didn't seem too pleased but continued to carry it none the less. Melanie couldn't help, but smile though she would never admit it she had a pleasant afternoon with him. Was it strange she wanted to spend more time with him? He was probably just walking her home out of a sense of obligation to her brother, expecting him to do any more than walk her home was just setting herself up for disappointment.

"Young lady! Please if you could spare a moment of your time." Melanie paused before shooting a quick glance over her shoulder. A portly older man with a bulbous and ruddy face was waving her over. She glanced over at Havoc, who merely offered a small shrug in return. The man stopped in front of her, catching his breath for a moment for continuing. "I couldn't help, but admire your work. You have some real talent, where were you trained?"

"Nowhere sir, I'm self-taught." The man grinned while straightening his finely made black suit.

"Now I'm even more impressed, I've been in search of someone to do a painting for my family and myself. I think you would be perfect, can you do portraits." Melanie beamed up at him, thankfully she was holding something, or she would've hugged the man.

"I can do anything you'd like sir, well painting wise that is!" She beamed, the many grinned as he slipped a folded white paper in her hand.

"Wonderful, that is my address, just call the number any time when you're free to stop by." Melanie had to bit her lip to keep from bursting into tears of happiness. "Let my secretary know what supplies you will need, and they will be provided for you. The sooner you can come, the more I'll pay."

"Thank you so much, sir!" She called after him as he walked away. "Can you believe that! Maybe I won't have to worry about passing my exam after all!" Melanie laughed.

"You have talent, but I wouldn't get too ahead of yourself, one client won't be enough to live off of." Melanie glared at him, of course, he was right, but why did he have to rain on her parade? He seemed to sense the frustration. "I'll tell you what, why don't we drop this off at Bredas and I'll take you out for a drink. The good stuff." Melanie relented with a sigh, acting as though she were doing him a grand kindness.

"If you insist..."

* * *

Melanie stared into her half-empty cup of scotch as Havoc sat hunched over on a bar stool. She was thankful for all his help but confused on what she should say or how she should act. Just a few weeks ago she thought Havoc was the scum of the earth, he was just another arrogant military chicken shit. The more time she spent with him, the more it seemed like that couldn't be further than the truth.

As much as it pained her to admit she was beginning to actually like the guy. It was unclear when this small crush had popped up, but it was becoming more and more evident with each second she sat there fixated on her drink. Each time she stole a glance at him her heart fluttered, it was infuriating! This was crazy the man was her brothers' friend, on top of that he was with the military. It was bad enough she had been roped into joining, her mother would have been devastated if she made the same mistake as her and marry a soldier. If she allowed herself to grow attached to a soldier, then all those years of resentment would've been a waste. Melanie let out a sigh before raising the glass to her lips.

"What do you have to sigh about? You landed a big deal remember?" Jean said with a grin, Melanie forced herself to smile back. He was right, now wasn't the time to act forlorn. "Are you going to tell Breda?" Havoc asked with a smirk, Melanie pursed her lips before crossing her arms over her chest.

"Absolutely not! I expect you won't tell him either, or anyone for that matter!" She added Jean quirked his brown with a shrug, "Please, I'm asking you nicely, please don't tell anyone Jean." His cheeks seemed to grow pink for a moment before he shut his eyes and brought his nearly full stein to his lips.

 _'Dammit, when did he get so good looking. I can't focus when he looks at me like that.'_ Havoc drained his amber beer before slamming the glass down at the table. She couldn't help but admire the look of sheer satisfaction that spread across his features as he wiped his mouth with the back of his sleeve.

"What? You think he'll make fun of you or something? When the last time you actually showed him something? I'm sure if you actually show him how amazing you are_ Ahh you're art! I meant to say how amazing your art it!" He corrected, Melanie, bit her bottom lip slightly. Even if it was just a slip it felt nice to hear him say he thought she was 'amazing,' Melanie felt her cheeks begin to flush. She quickly brought her glass to her lips, hoping it would be enough to keep Jean from noticing. "I won't tell anyone if you really don't want me to, but I think it's stupid." Havoc turned his attention from her and signaled for the bartender to close out his tab while placing a few crisp bills on the counter "I'm going to hit the John, wait for me outside, I have to make sure you get home." With that, he was gone Melanie covered her face with her hands. Whatever was happening it had to stop, she couldn't allow herself to have even the slightest attraction for him.

"You should be happy to have someone to walk you home, haven't you heard about all of those random explosions recently?" A man's voice pulled her from her thoughts. Melanie glanced up, a man dressed in a white suit with long black hair and icy, cold blue eyes took a seat beside her. She turned away from him, feeling uncomfortable for some reason. She couldn't place her finger on it, but she knew him from somewhere. "It's dangerous for a beautiful girl to walk alone, especially at this time of night."

"I'm not interested," She said dismissively, why he would even talk about such an unpleasant topic was a mystery. "Not that it's any of your business, but he's not a date."

"Ohh? I find it hard to believe that you'd tell me something like that if you truly weren't interested," To her surprise and disgust, the man placed his arm over her shoulder "I see, you're feeling shy tonight. Don't worry, we can talk more next time we meet." Melanie froze for a moment, he had just confirmed her belief that they had met somewhere before. She furrowed her brow as she watched him place a matching white hat on his head. "It's a shame, but I'm afraid I must cut out little chat short for now." Melanie couldn't help but scowl a little, she wouldn't be surprised if he was some creepy stalked she had picked up from when she was working at the cafes.

 _'No... That isn't it, there's something about that man that feels...off.'_ Melanie nearly fell off the bar stool as Havoc placed a firm hand on her shoulder.

"You ready?" Havoc paused as he noticed she was trembling "Melanie are you ok, your shaking like a leaf?" She kept her green hues locked on the door. The man was gone as quickly and mysteriously as he had shown up. She felt so stupid not being able to remember him. "Hey, whats wrong?" She shook her head before jumping to her feet.

"It's nothing, let's just leave..." Melanie grabbed her bag and began walking towards the door not even paying attention to whether or not Havoc was following her. Her heart dropped when she stepped outside and saw a flash of white turn the corner in the opposite direction she was supposed to be heading. "Hey wait!" She called after him before she could take a step Havoc gripped her arm firmly. "Let go of me..." She muttered. The blond man frowned at her,

"I'm not going to just let you run off. Did someone do something or say something to you while I was gone. You don't have to be embarrassed if you want me_."

"Stop, I said it was nothing... It was just someone_ A friend I haven't seen in a while. He caught me off guard is all." She lied, her uneasiness grew more and more with each passing second.

"A friend huh?" Havoc said, his tone making it clear he didn't believe a word she said.

"Yes, a friend!" What was she supposed to say? Even if she told him the truth what could he possibly do other than give her a lecture? All she could do was make sure she was ready to defend herself when the time came. "Havoc..." She said meekly, "I think I'll take you up on the jogs and combat training." Havoc eyed her suspiciously, he didn't seem to buy her story. Thankfully he didn't push it further than that.

"You won't regret it, by the time I'm done with you, you'll be more than ready for some field work." He threw his arm around he shoulder and pulled her in for an awkward hug.

"Hey! I'm not anywhere near drunk enough for you to get handsy with me, pervert!" She shouted her face flushing pink. Havoc quickly pushed himself off, he shook his hands defensively as he glanced around making sure no one had heard her accusation.

"Alright, alight brat! I thought I told you to stop calling me that!" Melanie shrugged, as much as she hated to admit it she would've been quite content if he had walked her all the way back to her apartment that way. Unfortunately for Havoc that was a wound her pride just couldn't take.

* * *

 ** _(A/N) Sorry for the delay, I've been mostly focusing on my other active fan fiction "Breaking the Girl". I'm going to try and get back to posting this bi weekly, but I've been feeling conflicted about what sort of a tone I want to have the story take. I have some things planned and want to keep things as cannon as possible. Anyway tell me what you think, I'm trying to maintain a slow burn. I hate when OC's just randomly change course and fall in love. For Melanie her feelings started popping up at the shooting range and have been slowly building with each interaction she has with him. Of course she feel conflicted about her feelings for many reasons the main of being she feels Havoc does all of these nice things for her out of some sort of friendly obligation the Breda._**


End file.
